The Chatsubo, or simply The Chat, is the bar made famous by William Gibson in his 1984 cyber-punk masterpiece NEUROMANCER. The Chat is where the cyberjocks, razorgirls and joeboys came to gather information and kick back. Please feel free to do the same here.
by JoAnn Roberts - CyberQueen
"It is not the fact of liberty but the way in which liberty is exercised that ultimately determines whether liberty itself survives." -- Dorothy Thompson
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is still the target of selected protests by transactivists around the country. The most recent protest took place on July 25th outside an HRC fund raising dinner. Members of It's Time Illinois (ITI) passed out educational leaflets on transgender issues to those attending the event. The action was planned because ITI believes (as do many of us) that while HRC gives the transgender community lip-service, it is still as anti-tg as ever. Several members of the Chicago transgender community paid $175 a seat last year to attend the annual dinner but were not allowed to pass out information. This year, no transgenders will attend but will try to educate from outside with a small one-half page leaflet. As one member of ITI puts it, "HRC is wrong on this one, folks! As long as one single person is denied human rights so another can have them, it is wrong!" If you're in the Chicago area and want to learn more about ITI, here's their contact info: Phone/fax (708) 535-1506, Emailto ItsTimeIL@aol.com, PO Box 33, Oak Forest, IL 60452.
Plans for the Millennium March (April 30, 2000) continue to move forward. At a June meeting of several organizations, a 15 member board of directors was established with a larger leadership council. The Board will have parity for people of color and by gender, and will include bisexual and transgender representation. Jessica Xavier of It's Time America! was offered a seat on the board, but she turned down the offer. Seven members were elected to the Board and two additional members were appointed after the meeting. Six additional members will be appointed at a later date. Among the initial board members are Elizabeth Birch (Ex. Dir., HRC, Washington, DC) and Nicole Ramierz-Murray (Co-Chair, National Latina/o LGBT Org., San Diego, CA). Anyone remember that last name? Ms. Ramierz-Murray was on the planning committee for the last March on Washington and argued against transgender inclusion and we know where Ms. Birch stands on the issue. If no one from the transgender community steps up to the bar to participate then we're sure to get short shrift and we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.
Meanwhile, representatives from 36 state organizations met in Denver, Colo., in mid-July for the mid-year meeting of the Federation of State Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Political Organizations. The purpose was to plan for the Equality Begins At Home actions slated for March 21-27, 1999 preceding the Millennium March. Oddly, Pennsylvania and California, states with very large and active gay, lesbian, and transgender communities, were not represented. I've made several public and private appeals for information about this federation and have not had a single response. So, while I'd love to tell you who to contact about your local state's action, I have no idea who to send you to. Please, if anyone reading this is in contact with the federation, ask them to contact me.
Generally, I'm glad when someone sticks up for the transgender community, but then there are times when I cringe. Like when the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and GenderPAC wrote a letter to Ford Motor Company protesting the Ray & Charlie Make A Bet ad. The loser of the bet has to wear a dress to a local diner. The letter said that representations like the Ray and Charlie ad trivialize transgender lives and identities. Puhleeeze! I've seen the ad and there is nothing in the ad that should offend any transgender sensibilities. The constant whining and complaining about how we're victimized by such images is bullshit. I'd much rather GenderPAC wrote whining and complaining letters to HRC than FoMoCo.
Someone once said, "It's not what you don't know that will get ya; it's what you know that ain't so." So, I'm looking through the latest issue of Transgender Tapestry and the editorial on page 4 says, "... Subscription and paid advertisements barely cover the costs of paper, printing, and postage." Guess what? It just ain't so. Any publisher who says they don't make back at least twice what it costs to print is jivin' or out of business. Nevertheless, I found issue #83 intriguing. I liked it a lot. It was fresh and new; eclectic, diverse and interesting to read. This is exactly the format that is needed to build newsstand sales. Unfortunately, I believe it is going to cost them their subscription base which is mostly male crossdressers who don't want to read articles about how to tie a tie. Sales are down already and this issue will convince fewer subscribers to renew.
Nancy Nangeroni, Executive Director of the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) was Grand Marshall for the Boston Gay Pride March. Nangeroni is extremely active in the Boston g/l/b community and is a self- acknowledged bisexual. While I don't agree with much of Ms. Nangeroni's politics, I can find no fault with her address to the Boston g/l/b/t community and agree with her on several important points. In particular: "... Being queer is about being different, and this movement of liberation that brings us together today, unites us not in a single vision, but in a common purpose... If we want to stand strong, unshakable in the face of all opposition, solid against all attempts to undermine us, vigorous in meeting any challenge, we would be smart to stand upon the broadest possible platform." [emphasis mine] Now, if the rest of the IFGE ruling junta felt the same way, our community would be much better off.
IFGE founder Merissa Sherrill Lynn suffered a nonfatal stroke at the beginning of July which left her partially paralyzed on her right side. As of this writing she has recovered some use of her right hand, but remains without the full use of her right leg. If you'd like to send her a note, Merissa can be reached at P.O. Box 367, Wayland, MA 01778, or by telephone at 508-358-5919.
Enough! Lets do some fashion. Have you always wanted a corset but were put off by the high prices? How about a corset kit? A simple to sew waist-cincher corset kit with all custom pre-cut material supplies and instructions, is available from US$38/Cdn$55 plus S/H (for waist sizes up to 32). Lace/trim, garters and larger sizes are available at additional cost. The corset is a slip-on style with back lacing and a waist reduction of 4 inches. It comes in black, red or white jacquard. For ordering info, send email to leedpro@cadvision.com.
I received an announcement for a new online makeup store - Make Up Mania! www.makeupmania.com. Supposedly, Make Up Mania! is run by professional makeup artists in Hollywood, California. Well, maybe, but the site was extremely disappointing. The design of the site is clever with the metaphor of a department store. Go to a certain "floor" for foundation and base, another for nails, another for wigs and hair; and so on. Once on a floor, you go to different "counters" for specific items. Many of the "counters" we would be interested in, wigs for example, were labeled "under construction." This has become a Cardinal Sin in web design. Web sites are always under construction if they're any good. Then I started looking for an address or phone number. Neither were listed, not even on their order form. That set off alarm bells. So, I wanted to leave them a message but there was also no convenient way to send feedback. Overall, I say skip Make Up Mania! and stick with our community vendors.
As we work our way into the last days of summer (can you believe it already), metallics are the colors to work with. I especially like warm bronze and copper tones in the daytime for eyes, cheeks and lips. Here are some items to try... Franois Nars: eyeshadow in California or Key Largo... Clinique Transparency Bronze face powder or eyeshadow in Spiced Mocha... Artistry eyecolor in Suede or Tahitian Sunset. For nighttime switch to a cool silvery shadow like Nars eyeshadow in Bombshell, Cover Girl eyeshadow in Charcoal Frost, Prescriptives eyeshadow in Moonlight, or Clinique eyeshadow in Grey on Grey.
Sometime ago I mentioned that some of the hipper young adults were wearing clothes that came out of the late forties swing era. Well that trend seems to be increasing in popularity along with a 90's version of swing music (disco is really dead). Dance clubs everywhere are hosting "swing" nites where kids can jitterbug to the likes of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Big Voodoo Daddy, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. (Yes, that Brian Setzer of former Stray Cats fame.) One problem is that older adults think "swing" parties means wife swapping. Ha! Old fogies. Anyway, I fully expect to see pencil thin mustaches and Ricky Ricardo jackets be the rage this Fall.
The Fall (yes, we must start thinking about colder weather now) Fashion Buzz is longer coat and jacket lengths, like 3/4 car length and maxi-coats. A great look would be a 3/4 length coat with narrow lapels over a charcoal grey sweater and knee-length black leather skirt. Tres Chic! Another great look is the suit made up of longish jacket and sleeveless dress. The right touch is a bit of fur (faux, of course) at the ends of the sleeves of the jacket. The alternative to the dressy suit is the pant suit but this time with a maxi-coat over slim legged, flat front trousers. Very 70's, yet very 90's Foxy Brown.
More good news for the bigger girls in our camp. Lane Bryant reintroduces Venezia, a line of clothing for 17 to 25 year olds that doesn't look like it was designed by Omar the Tentmaker. LB found that young women in this age bracket are about 10 percent heavier than their counterparts of 20 years ago, thus the need for younger, stylish casual clothing in larger sizes. Sizes range from 14 to 28 and include jeans, tees, camisoles, tanks, and chinos.
The tag line for Godzilla the movie was "Size Matters." Anyone who says it don't is lying. Size is especially important when accessorizing outfits. Here's two tips from the pages of MODE magazine about accessorizing for larger women... If you have a long neck, try wearing long dangly earrings... Hand bags look best proportioned to your frame. If you're bottom-heavy, don't use a bag that bangs against your hips. If you're big-busted, a bag with a longer strap is preferred.
Quotes with comments... "I love seeing the drag queens do me. It's such a compliment. [My] new album is full of songs the impersonators are going to jump all over. I can't wait to see what they do with Real Woman. They're going to have a field day with it." Singer Gloria Estefan... "Viagra is the greatest thing for trophy wives since the invention of the joint bank account." Political commentator Fred Barnes.
So, those are my opinions, but, hey, what do I know? Comments? Write care of this publication or email them to CyberQueen@cdspub.com.
© 1998 by JoAnn Roberts
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